In a televised address to the nation on July 27, President Saakashvili said that the anti-criminal operation against rebel militia members in upper Kodori gorge to restore the government’s control over the area, which is the only Georgian-administered part of breakaway Abkhazia, has been “successfully completed.”
During the address Saakashvili also commented on some of the details of the operation, which started in the gorge on July 25 – three days after the local warlord Emzar Kvitsiani and his paramilitary group Monadire (Hunter) announced their defiance towards the central authorities. Officials in Tbilisi indicated late on July 27 that Kvitsiani has most likely escaped into Abkhaz-controlled territory, and is most likely in the capital city of Sokhumi.
‘A Huge Success’ in Kodori
President Saakashvili said that the Georgian authorities passed “an important test” after they managed to restore the central government’s full control over upper Kodori Gorge, “which is a very important and precious part of our country.”
“Kodori gorge is in the middle of Abkhazia… so close to Sokhumi,” he added.
Saakashvili said that Georgian special purpose units have cleared the area of “bandits” that have been in full control of the gorge since the early 90s, “terrorizing the local population for years.”
He said that when Kvitsiani and his militia group openly announced his defiance towards the country’s central authorities, it was regarded as “a very dangerous challenge.”
“This was a dangerous challenge because it concerns a very strategic and important part of Georgia [Kodori Gorge]… So we decided to send special forces there,” Saakashvili said.
“We have acted correctly and we were obligated to act like this… because we were not going to yield to their [local militia group’s] blackmail anymore,” Saakashvili said.
He admitted that it was “a mistake” not to tackle the problem in Kodori earlier.
Saakashvili said that the police operation was carried out with “huge success.” He said the troops were ambushed immediately after they entered the gorge on July 25, and later two helicopters were damaged as well. “One pilot was even injured,” Saakashvili said, adding that “some other” officers were also injured, “some of them badly.”
But Saakashvili did not specify the number of casualties, a matter which remains unclear.
He said that one local resident – an elderly woman – was killed in a shootout.
“These bandits should be blamed for death of this person, because the bandits were using the peaceful population as a shield.”
He said that the Georgian troops opened a corridor to rebel militia members at 1:30 am on July 27 to let them leave a village after it became clear that there was a high risk of casualties among the peaceful population.
“But we will get these bandits, even from [out of] the ground, and punish them,” Saakashvili added.
He also hailed the high level of professionalism of the Georgian special forces, “who have spared no efforts to minimize casualties.”
He thanked the locals for cooperating with the law enforcement agencies.
“We have very patriotic people even in the very remote areas of our country,” Saakashvili said.
He also said that the militia group, which was based in Kodori Gorge, was closely cooperating with the top leadership of the Abkhaz secessionists, including with Gari Kupalba, the Deputy Defense Minister of breakaway Abkhazia.
“This Gari Kupalba is the person who was playing football with the decapitated heads of Georgians in Gagra [town in Abkhazia] in the autumn of 1992. This was the Kvitsiani gang’s major supporter among the Abkhaz secessionist authorities,” Saakashvili said.
‘Irresponsible Media’
In his televised address Saakashvili criticized “some media sources,” which he did not specify, of “irresponsible coverage” of developments in Kodori gorge.
“We have some media sources which were broadcasting live the exact number of troops that were moving [into Kodori Gorge], the number plates of vehicles, they were showing the faces of members of our special forces and were giving every chance for [the militia members] to learn the timing of the movement of [government] forces… A certain level of responsibility should exist, no matter what kind of forces are behind this kind of coverage,” Saakashvili said.
In particular, authorities have recently stepped up criticism of the Tbilisi-based Imedi television, which is owned by an influential tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, for “biased coverage” of political developments in the country.
‘Chain of Provocations’
Saakashvili indicated in his address that the defiance shown by the warlord Kvitsiani was part of “a chain of provocations” masterminded against Georgia in recent months with the aim of triggering destabilization and chaos and an ultimate goal of “changing the current regime.”
“One must be blind, stupid, or an enemy not to see this pressure exerted [on Georgia],” Saakashvili said.
He noted that the provocation in Kodori coincided with a Georgian Parliamentiary resolution passed on July 18, which instructs the government to withdraw Russian peacekeeping troops from the South Ossetian and Abkhaz conflict zones.
“I warn the Russian peacekeeping troops that are still deployed in the conflict zone to refrain from provocations,” Saakashvili said.
“But the major thing for which we are being punished,” he added, “is that Georgia has decided to be real independent, united, democratic state.”
He said that Russian media sources covered developments in Kodori Gorge “more extensively than developments in Lebanon, or in Russia itself. So this Russian media coverage was not just a simple coincidence.”
Kodori – Abkhazia’s Provisional Administrative Center
Saakashvili announced that the Georgian authorities have decided to relocate the Abkhaz government-in-exile, which has up to now been based in Tbilisi, in upper Kodori Gorge.
He said the decision means that Kodori will now become “Abkhazia’s temporary and legitimate administrative center.”
“[The Abkhaz government-in-exile] will exercise the Georgian state’s full jurisdiction, full control over this territory [Kodori],” Saakashvili said.
“This decision means that for the first time since 1993 the government is entering into the middle of Abkhazia, of our Abkhazia, to exercise Georgian jurisdiction and the Georgian constitutional order. This is a very important fact and very fundamental political event,” Saakashvili said.
“I always thought that Tbilisi was not a place for the Abkhaz government-[in-exile]… This legitimate government of Abkhazia, which was forced out of Abkhazia [in 1993], will now be based in Kodori,” Saakashvili said.
“From now on Georgia exercises direct control over a very important, strategic part of Abkhaz territory … as there will be legitimate authorities and this legitimate government.”
It is likely that the decision will be strongly condemned by the secessionist authorities in Abkhazia, which has for a long time been demanding that Tbilisi disband, as they call it, the “so called legitimate Abkhaz government.”
Kodori Rehabilitation
Saakashvili said in his speech that he has ordered that humanitarian aid immediately be sent to Kodori Gorge and to allocate funds to distribute allowances to Kodori residents.
He added that a road linking upper Kodori Gorge with Svaneti, a high mountainous region of Georgia at the administrative border with Abkhazia, will also be rehabilitated.
“I have also ordered the immediate rehabilitation of the air field in Kodori Gorge, and I have also ordered the purchase of planes from a neighboring country to conduct regular flights to Kodori,” Saakashvili said.
‘No Aggressive Intentions’
Saakashvili also said that the decision to relocate the Abkhaz government-in-exile to Kodori, along with all other steps being taken in regard to the gorge, does not mean that Georgia “has aggressive intentions in respect of the rest of the Abkhaz population.”
“Georgia is not planning any confrontation. Georgia plans to continue the peace process with new peace initiatives,” he said.
He noted that Georgia is ready to resume its participation in the once-regular, weekly meetings in Chuburkhinji village, which is in the Gali district of breakaway Abkhazia. The ‘Chuburkhinji sessions’ involved representatives of the Georgian and Abkhaz sides, Russian peacekeepers, and UN observers.
“Everyone should know that Georgia has peaceful and constructive intentions and we will spare no efforts to prevent any kind of large-scale confrontation in Abkhazia. But at the same time I want all of the secessionist leaders to know that the result of any negotiation, of any agreement, as well as of any political process, must only be the restoration of the territorial integrity of Georgia, with the protection of all sides’ legitimate interests, with the protection of the interests of the Abkhaz nation and all the people living in Abkhazia,” Saakashvili said.
He said that Georgia has “enormous patience, but there are 300,000 internally displaced persons behind this patience.”
“We should create a new, joint state model of ethnic, civil cooperation. We will never turn from this course. There will be no compromises in this respect,” Saakashvili said.
